In short all candidate MUST be good and excellent in English. If not we will be embarrassing. Don't be like Zam Maidin, when BBC called him on Hindraf issues he don't actually answer the question but making worse he emotionally "bang" the moderator with his broken English.

Mummy personally think, Mahyuddin is more qualified than Datuk Ali Rustam to represent us internationally.

After a two-month hiatus, our columnist takes a break from unpacking boxes to meet Malaysia’s beloved Kampung Boy at the world’s biggest book fair.

The Kampung Boy at the Frankfurt Book Fair? That was too good an opportunity to miss!

When the Malaysian Consul General in Frankfurt, Saiful Azam Abdullah, first informed me of Lat’s imminent arrival in town, I immediately requested an interview.Malaysian cartoonist Lat (Mohamed Nor Khalid) at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Oct 16.

After all, I have been a fan ever since I first read his Kampung Boy as a seven year-old. His illustrations never ceased to amuse me. And having spent the better part of my childhood growing up in a rubber plantation myself, I could relate to the adventures of the book’s tousle-haired protagonist with the toothy grin.

Even today, I can’t help giggling at the myriad characters who enliven his distinctive sketches of Malaysian life €” the Chinese lady with the beehive and bat-wing glasses (supposedly inspired by his former English teacher, Mrs Moira Hew) or the bespectacled Indian Uncle with the middle parting and curly side burns. And of course, the distinctive “Lat noses” on famous personalities.

Datuk Mohamad Nor Khalid (as Lat is otherwise known) came to town a week ago to launch the German edition of his bestseller, Kampung Boy. The German version features an additional tagline €” Ein Frechdachs aus Malaysia €” which roughly translates to either a “rascal” or a “cheeky monkey” from Malaysia.

Either moniker suits him, I guess. The jolly cartoonist was in his element, having the large crowd in stitches at the presentation of his book at the 60th annual Frankfurt Book Fair (see story on p6).

Looking dapper in a black baju Melayu complete with songkok and samping, he began his presentation by explaining that he usually does not “go around wearing this costume”.

“Whenever I wear this outfit at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, the security guards at the entrance would salute me thinking that I am the ex-president of Indonesia. I’d salute back,” he said to peals of laughter.Flashing his famous smile as he flips through Maxz and Moritz. — AFP PHOTO

The history of Lat’s entry into the world of comics needs no introduction. Having had supportive parents, Lat’s love of drawing was nurtured early on.

“I’ve been reading comics ever since I was a kid. When I couldn’t read yet, I’d just look at the pictures,” explained the 57-year-old, whose favourite cartoonists include the Sri Lankan Aubrey Collette, who created Sun Tan, the Asian Sensation, and the German Wilhelm Busch, famous for his Max and Moritz comics.

When I later showed him a copy of my husband’s original Max and Moritz comic, he said, “I grew up with him. When I came to Germany in 1983, I had a chance to visit a museum in Munich and saw the original artwork. This is the old style of drawing, which is attractive and will not go out of date.”

To introduce his book, a slideshow featured highlights from the Kampung Boy. While it was a hilarious eye-opener for the uninitiated (with Lat providing side-splitting commentary), it was a walk down memory lane for the Malaysians present there.

Many were seen nodding vigorously whenever he described certain childhood activities. Although most of us have now spent a large portion of our lives in cities, almost all of us could recall, or at least relate to, eating coconut embryos as a treat, skinny-dipping in rivers or playing hide and seek with the other neighbourhood kids.

A collective “awww” went up when he mentioned that the original kampung house where he spent his childhood and which was also featured in the book was later sold to a relative in the 1960s.

His descriptions of a simpler life made me wonder if development had somewhat dulled our senses.

For instance, his class would sometimes convene at the headmaster’s house to listen to History lessons over the radio.

“When we heard the sound of the Portuguese attacking Malacca, we’d picture it in our heads. That probably also helped us with our imagination.”

“People were also more patient. If you had a favourite song, you’d have to wait patiently by the radio and listen to the request programme. My favourite song was It’s all in a Game by Cliff Richard. You hope that it would be this song but then the announcer would play another and you’d have to wait. You don’t get things you want immediately,” he explained.

How unlike today where the shuffle button on the iPod plays the song you want.

Ditto childhood games.

“The first game we played €” like children anywhere else €” was hide and seek. To play hide-and-seek, you needed friends. It’s not like now where kids play computer games alone. In my time, if you had no friends, who was going to look for you?”

And while we think nothing of the speed trains whizzing between cities, a simple bus ride into the city was a big deal then.

“To celebrate Raya, we sometimes used to go to Batu Gajah. At that time for RM1.70 we could tengok wayang (watch a movie) and have mee goreng. I used to wear seluar pendek (short pants) with a necktie!” he said, laughing at the memory.

With increasing numbers of people migrating to cities, does Lat feel that many are missing out on something special?

“There are two things here. Firstly, in many places, people don’t have a kampung anymore. Secondly, it was the environment of the kampung that mattered the most.

“When you remember your place of origin, there was a river with fish and a very good school with lots of pupils. Lots of laughter and friends meant the most. In those days, if you passed a particular exam it meant that you had to go to another town and you wondered about the friends that you would leave behind.”

And now these and other beloved childhood memories have been introduced to the people of “Bank-furt” (Frankfurt’s nickname playing on its financial capital status).

After presenting his book, Lat mingled easily with the crowd, flashing his trademark grin. He gamely signed copies of his book for fans and curious onlookers alike.

Among the autograph seekers was David Price-Hughes who spent his childhood in Kuala Lumpur.

“My parents really loved his books and we had several copies around. We still look at them and I have pictures of me with Lat T-shirts on. Looking at the pictures in the slideshow brings back memories of being in KL,” said the Briton who coincidentally was an exhibitor at the same book fair.

The Kampung Boy is now available in nine different languages and its far-reaching appeal has garnered its author yet another accolade. Last Monday, the German-Malaysian Society presented him an award for “Outstanding Contribution towards Promoting Cultural Understanding Between Malaysia and Germany”.

Yet Lat remains unfazed by all the fuss surrounding his 30-year-old book.

“There’s nothing spectacular about the book. It’s all just a recording of what happened daily. If you know the origins of your father or grandfather, you tend to appreciate it more.”

And this is probably why Lat has sealed his reputation not only as a talented artist but also a witty chronicler who warms the cockles of your heart.

> Brenda Benedict is a Malaysian living once again in Frankfurt. Her autographed copy of the Kampung Boy is now safely stored away from her book-chewing cats.

Khan was born to Muslim parents of Pathan ethnicity in New Delhi, India.[1] His father, Taj Mohammed Khan was a freedom fighter from Peshawar, Pakistan. His mother Lateef Fatima was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served as a General in the Indian National Army of Subash Chandra Bose.[2]

Khan's father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the Partition of India,[3] while his mother's family came from Rawalpindi, also in present-day Pakistan.[4] Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz.[5] He attended St. Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award bequeathed to the student who embodies most the spirit of the school. He later attended the Hansraj College (1985-1988) to earn an Honors degree in Economics. Though he studied for a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia, he later opted out to make his career in Bollywood.[6]

After the death of his parents, Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991.[7] In that same year, before any of his film releases, he married Gauri Khan (who is a Hindu) in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991.[8] They have two children, son Aryan Khan (b. 1997) and daughter Suhana (b. 2000). According to Khan, while he strongly believes in Allah, he also values his wife's religion. At home, his children follow both religions, with the Qur'an being situated next to the Hindu gods.[9][10]

In 2005, Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part documentary on Khan, titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan's inner world of family and daily life with the outer world of his work. The book Still Reading Khan, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by Anupama Chopra, "King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema", was released in 2007. This book described the world of Bollywood through Khan's life.

Khan's life-size wax statue is on display at the Madame Tussauds wax museum, London, installed in April 2007.[11] Khan has been accorded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) award by the French government for his “exceptional career”.[12] In October 2008, he had been conferred the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka which carries the honorific Datuk (in similar fashion to "Sir" in British knighthood), by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, the head of state of Malacca in Malaysia, despite an outcry among the Malaysian public and local artistes who question his contribution to the country, other than "promoting tourism in Malacca" by filming One Two Ka Four there in 2001.[13]

Career

As an actor

Khan studied acting under celebrated Theatre Director Barry John at Delhi's Theatre Action Group (TAG). In 2007, John commented thus on his former pupil:

The credit for the phenomenally successful development and management of Shahrukh's career goes to the superstar himself.[14]

Khan made his acting debut in 1988 when he appeared in the television series, Fauji, playing the role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai.[15] He went on to appear in several other television serials, most notably in the 1989 serial, Aziz Mirza's Circus, which depicted the life of circus performers.[16] The same year, Khan also had a minor role in the made-for-television English-language film, In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones, which was based on life at Delhi University and was written by Arundhati Roy.

Upon moving from New Delhi to Mumbai in 1991,[17] Khan made his Bollywood movie debut in Deewana (1992). The movie became a box office hit, and launched his career in Bollywood.[18] His performance won him a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. His second movie, Maya Memsaab, generated some controversy because of his appearance in an "explicit" sex scene in the movie.[19]

In 1993, Khan won acclaim for his performances in villainous roles as an obsessive lover and a murderer, respectively, in the box office hits, Darr and Baazigar.[20] Darr marked his first collboration with renowned film-maker Yash Chopra and his banner Yash Raj Films, the largest production company in Bollywood. Baazigar, which saw Khan portraying an ambiguous avenger who murders his girlfriend, shocked its Indian audience with an unexpected violation of the standard Bollywood formula,[21] yet his performance won him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award. In that same year, Khan played the role of a young musician in Kundan Shah's Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, a performance that earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. Khan maintains that this is his all-time favourite among the movies he has acted in.[22] In 1994, Khan once again played an obsessive lover/psycho's role in Anjaam. Though the movie was not a box office success, Khan's performance earned him the Filmfare Best Villain Award.[23]

In 1995, Khan starred in Aditya Chopra's directorial debut Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a critical and commercial success, for which he won his second Filmfare Best Actor Award[24] which entered its twelfth year in 2007 in Mumbai theaters. By then the movie had grossed over 12 billion rupees, making it as one of the biggest movie blockbusters.[25]

1996 was a disappointing year for Khan as all his movies released that year failed to do well at the box office.[26] His first 1997 release, Yash Chopra's Dil to Pagal Hai, however, became that year's second highest grossing movie, and he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award.[27] Earlier that year, he saw success with Subhash Ghai's Pardes -- one of the biggest hits of the year-- and Aziz Mirza's Yes Boss.[27]

In 1998, Khan starred in Karan Johar's directoial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was the biggest hit of the year.[28] His performance won him his fourth Best Actor award at the Filmfare. He won critical praise for his performance in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se. This movie did not do well at the Indian box office, but was a commercial success overseas.[29] Khan's only release in 1999, Baadshah, was an average grosser.[30]

In 2000, Khan starred in Aditya Chopra's second film, Mohabbatein, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film did well at the box office, and Khan's performance won him his second Critics Award for Best Performance at the Filmfare. He also starred in Mansoor Khan's Josh, which was also a box office success.[31] In that same year, Khan set up his own production house, Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla. Both Khan and Chawla starred in the first movie of their production house, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani.[31]

In 2001, Khan collaborated with Karan Johar for the second time in the family drama, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham which was the second biggest hit of the year. He also received favorable reviews for his performance as Emperor Asoka in the historical epic, Asoka.[32]

In 2002, Khan received acclaim for playing the title role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's award-winning period romance, Devdas. It was the third Hindi movie adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's well-known novel of the same name, and surfaced as one of the biggest hits of that year.[33] Khan also starred opposite Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the family-drama Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, which did well at the box office.[33]

In 2003, Khan starred in the moderately successful romantic drama, Chalte Chalte.[34] That same year, he starred in the romantic drama movie, Kal Ho Naa Ho, written by Karan Johar and directed by Nikhil Advani. Khan's performance in this movie as a man with heart disease was appreciated. The movie proved to be one of the year's biggest hits in India and the biggest Bollywood hit overseas.[34]

2004 was a good year for Khan, commercially as well as critically. He starred in Farah Khan's directorial debut, Main Hoon Na. The movie did well at the box office. He then played the leading role of Veer in Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara, which was the biggest hit of 2004 in both India and overseas.[35] Khan's performance in the film won him awards at several award ceremonies. In that same year, he received critical praise for his performance in Ashutosh Gowariker's Swades, which won him the Filmfare Best Actor Award for the sixth time, although the movie was a box office failure. He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for all three of his releases in 2004, winning it for Swades.[35]

Khan's only movie release in 2005 was the fantasy film, Paheli. It was a box office failure, but won him acclaim.[36] The movie was India's nomination for the Oscars.

In 2006, Khan collaborated with Karan Johar for the fourth time with the melodrama movie, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. It did well in India and much more so in the overseas market, becoming the biggest Bollywood hit in the overseas market ever.[37] His second release in that saw him playing the title role in the action film Don, a remake of the 1978 hit Don. The movie was a success.[37]

Khan's first release in 2007 was a film about the Indian women's national hockey team, Chak De India. Earning over Rs 639 million, Chak De India became the third highest grossing movie of 2007 in India[38] and was critically acclaimed.[39] In addition, Khan received his seventh Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance as the coach of the team.

Khan also starred in Farah Khan's 2007 film, Om Shanti Om. The film emerged as the year's highest grossing film in India and the overseas market,[38] as well as earned him another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony.

As a producer

Khan turned producer when he set up a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza in 1999. The first two of the films he produced and starred in: Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) and Asoka (2001) were box office failures.[32] However, his third film, as a producer and star, Chalte Chalte (2003), was the first box office hit from his production house.[34]

In 2004, he set up another production company called Red Chillies Entertainment and produced and starred in Main Hoon Na which was another hit at the box office.[35] In 2005 he produced and starred in the fantasy film Paheli, which was a box office failure.[36] It was India's official entry to the Oscars for a nomination for Best Foreign Film, but it did not pass the final selection. That same year he also co-produced the supernatural horror film Kaal with Karan Johar and performed an item number for the film with Malaika Arora Khan. Kaal was moderately successful at the box office.[36] The latest film Om Shanti Om, which he produced as well as starred in, has done very well at the box office. In 2008, The Red Chillies Entertainment became the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders in the BCCI backed IPL cricket league.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim Monday asked Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to table a new budget or make amendments to the original before it is debated in the Dewan Rakyat.

According to him, the budget tabled by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was also Finance Minister then (in August), was no longer relevant as a result of the financial crisis the world and Malaysia was facing now.

Debating the Supply Bill 2009, Anwar asked the government to gather together the top economic experts in the country, especially from the Treasury, Economic Planning Unit and Bank Negara, to review the situation and put the economy back on track.

"It's not that we (opposition) want to reject the budget that has been tabled but only want the figures to be relooked, and I know, those who came up with the figures are prepared to do it," said Anwar, who himself was a finance minister once.

He then asked Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar whether he should continue with the debate to which Wan Junaidi replied in the affirmative and invited the Opposition to table an alternative budget later if they had one.

Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) next joined the fray and asked for the current debate on the budget be adjourned until a new budget was presented.

The Deputy Speaker overruled his request.

THAT'S WHAT NAJIB SHOULD DO FIRST. HIS SUGESTION HAS BEEN DONE BY MAHATHIR BEFORE.

I FIND it incredible that the unprecedented global financial crisis that has governments everywhere on edge and frantically finding solutions finds little or no mention in Malaysian news of what the government is doing to tackle the imminent fallout.

Perhaps Malaysia has a secret recipe for tackling financial crises having successfully survived one over a decade ago. Or is it something else?The global crisis that originated from the US housing and sub-prime mortgage crash spread worldwide and massacred the world’s stock markets are now entering the dangerous phase of damaging businesses and economies, and creating widespread unemployment.

The domino effect of the credit freeze worldwide is going to be evident in the developed world. But do I sense a tidak apa attitude in Malaysia and in the region?The carnage in the financial and stock markets will inevitably affect the region yet we don’t see Asean calling for an emergency meeting to deal with the global crisis and its impact on the region.

That speaks volumes about their confidence or are they simply preoccupied with more important things?The suggestion that Malaysia having de-coupled its economy from the US will not be badly affected is naive to say the least.

I read Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s statement on the urgency to deal with the crisis which is both relevant and timely and can’t help empathising with him in his frustration over the Umno top leadership transition pact.

People have to ask whether this sort of political wheeling and dealing is in the national interest and whether the country can afford to bide time while the incumbent leader works out his remaining days when the country faces a global financial and economic crisis that happens only “once in a generation.”

I scoured all the English newspapers but could hardly find any worthy mention of strong and decisive action by the politicians to face the imminent impact of the global catastrophe except the lonely voices of concerned politicians who should be asking for an emergency seating of Parliament to unite the country and form a bi-partisan approach to face the crisis.

More than ever Malaysia needs a prime minster who is diligent and capable and able to inspire confidence at home and abroad to prepare the country for the worst that the global fallout will present.

But what we can’t afford is a lack of leadership in this crucial hour.It is easy for some politicians to talk about attracting foreign investments to take advantage of the US problems but why would anyone want to invest in Malaysia when there are now even more attractive opportunities elsewhere?

The financial crisis is as much a crisis of confidence. But I don’t see the politicians doing their utmost to bolster public confidence. Instead they appear more concerned about their personal interests than the country’s national interest.If our politicians are so sure that Malaysia will weather the economic storm and that is why they are not spending too much time worrying about the global crisis then I guess we are truly a lucky country.

Ignorance is bliss and inaction is the panacea the world has yet to discover.STEVE OH,Kajang.